


cold front

by tangentiallly



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Don’t copy to another site, M/M, Timestamp, pre-ASOUE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 07:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18846229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangentiallly/pseuds/tangentiallly
Summary: “I - uh - want to return your trench coat. I kept forgetting it and - I thought - since it’s getting colder recently - you might need it.”“You’re ... still wearing it.”“Well, I - I was wondering if you’ll be - if you’ll be willing to take more than the trench coat back.”





	cold front

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: I don't own ASOUE  
> please don't copy this story to another site

Bertrand rang on his doorbell again 1 month and 12 days after their breakup, not that Jacques was counting or anything.

It was quarter to ten at night on a particular windy day, and after reluctantly pressing pause on the Gustav Sebald movie production playing on his TV, Jacques slowly dragged himself up from the sofa, threw his notebook scribbled with half-deciphered codes from the movie, and wondered who could it be at this hour. 

He immediately froze when he saw who was outside.

Even without the immediate gust of wind attacking Jacques’ face as he opened the door, he realized tonight was windy just by how ruffled Bertrand’s hair looked. Somehow that look reminded Jacques of that time where everyone went to the beach all those months ago.

Bertrand was wearing the trench coat he’d borrowed from Jacques a while back but forgotten to return, the trench coat Jacques had purposefully not bother getting back because a part of him, perhaps just a little spitefully, hoped that the presence of this coat would remind Bertrand of him every single day. The coat looked a little too large on Bertrand, who wasn’t as lanky and tall as Jacques. Well, love is a ill-fitting trench coat of an ex-lover, or something, probably. Whatever.

“Hi,” Bertrand said, his voice slightly hoarse, perhaps due to the cool weather.

“Hey,” Jacques replied cautiously. He badly wanted to get back to watching the Gustav Sebald movie production, even thought right now he couldn’t remember what it was talking about, or what the half-deciphered code on his notebook he scribbled down while watching included. Right now he couldn’t really think of anything other than his ex standing at his doorsteps wearing his trench coat that didn’t really fit and looked like it was almost touching the ground.

Bertrand quickly ran a finger across the right side of the frames of his glasses. It was just a small action, probably almost subconscious, but it was so  _familiar_ , bringing back sudden waves of memories Jacques absolutely did not ask for. It struck Jacques how much he’d missed Bertrand for the past month (well, the past one month and 12 days, but nobody’s  _counting_. He did not need to be _exact_. He didn’t need to realize to himself how much he’d missed Bertrand for the past _one month and 12 days_. He’s  _not fucking counting_.) 

(A week ago, when it had been just one month and five days - not that he was  _counting_  - Kit had said “as his best friend who’s known how he’s like I sort of could understand why he wanted to break up” and Jacques had asked “what about as my sister” to which Kit replied “as your sister I think you should drive faster” and then rolled down the taxi window to yell at a passerby truck.)

Bertrand shifted his weight from his left leg to right, looking somewhat fidgety. Then he said, “I - uh - want to return your trench coat. I kept forgetting it and - I thought - since it’s getting colder recently - you might need it.”

Jacques studied Bertrand, from the ruffled hair that Jacques wanted to reach out a hand to help him smooth it out (not to _touch_  him, _obviously_ , just to help his hair look less messy), to the blue eyes that with nervousness that was almost spilling over, to the trench coat that looked too large on him, the trench coat Bertrand claimed to be returning but still hadn’t taken off yet. “You’re ... still wearing it,” Jacques pointed out.

“Well, I,” Bertrand visibly swallowed, shifting his weight back to the left leg again. The nervousness in his eyes seemed to be even higher than moments ago. Jacques suddenly dreaded what Bertrand was going to say, even though he had no idea what it would be. “I was wondering if you’ll be - if you’ll be willing to take more than the trench coat back.”

Jacques’s hand, previous placed on the doorknob, dropped to his side as his arm suddenly felt weak.

 

* * *

 

 

“If you’ll be willing to take more than the trench coat back,” he said, and immediately wanted to disappear into a hole and never come out again, probably. Beatrice had promised him that this line was charming and clever and if not for the fact that it was against her principles to return stolen things ( “I did not steal J’s trench coat - I just forgot to return it -” Bertrand had protested to no avail) she would want a chance to use such a line herself. Bertrand was quite sure that was a lie, because Beatrice was definitely not the kind of person who would be asking someone else to take her back.

Jacques stared at him for what felt like an eternity, and sometime between the moment Bertrand said those words and an eternity after, he felt his panic mode almost activating. He really shouldn’t have listened to Beatrice’s advice. Beatrice was charming, even horrible ideas that would fail when anyone else do it worked when executed by her because she was charming.

A strong wind blew past, and he could hear leaves being swept up by the wind before scattering back onto the ground again.

“You were the one who wanted to break up in the first place,” Jacques said, sounding more tired than accusatory, which somehow felt even worse. “You were the one who wanted to  _leave_.”

“I know. I’m sorry.“ Bertrand said, desperately wanting to add “but I’m here now” but managed to restrain himself from doing so.

Jacques paused for so long again and Bertrand was tempted to just take off the trench coat and leave now. It might not sound fun to walk back without a coat in this weather, but on the other hand, he might also be too numb to feel any coldness. Definitely worth a try. If he hurried, he might still catch the last bus.

Finally, Jacques sighed, stepping back a little to let him inside. “Come in. I’m going to make some tea, and we’re going to talk.” He gave Bertrand a very stern look, and for a brief moment Bertrand wondered if was too late to just run away now.

The moment passed, and Bertrand stepped inside.

**Author's Note:**

> [come say hi on tumblr](https://beatricebidelaire.tumblr.com)


End file.
